I imagine that there are countless believers who rarely feel the sting of conscience or the pain of repentance, but I also know many, many believers (including me) who feel easily dissatisfied with things they do not do or do less than perfectly. In fact, I am convinced that most serious Christians live almost constantly with a low sense of guilt.
How do we feel guilty? Let me list some ways.
- What are we doing behind all these guilt scenarios?We do not feel that kind of paralyzing remorse for these things.
- But these imperfections can have a cumulative effect by which even the mature believer can feel like someone who is disappointed in God and.
- Perhaps.
- A mere Christian.
Here’s the hard part: sometimes we have to feel guilty, because sometimes we’re guilty of sin. Moreover, complacency in Christian life is a real danger, especially in the United States.
But despite this, I do not believe that God would redeem us with the blood of His Son so that we may feel permanent failures. After Pentecost, did Peter and John seem tortured by introspective and repugnant fears of themselves?Was Paul constantly worried about being able to do more?Admirably, Paul said at one point, “Has my conscience not been questioned at all?(1 Co 4. 4). And he immediately added, “I do not consider myself justified, for the Lord judges me. “Looks like Paulo slept every day, night with a clear conscience. So why do so many believers feel guilty all the time?
1. No have received fully the good news of the gospel; We forget that we were made alive with Christ; we are resurrected with him. We were saved only by faith. And it is a gift from God, not the result of works (Ephesians 2-8). Can we be so afraid of antinomism, a legitimate danger, that we are afraid to speak profusely about God’s grace?But if we have never been accused of antinomics, the Gospel may not have been presented to us in all its extraordinary splendor (Romans 6. 1).
Christians tend to motivate others because of guilt and not grace. Instead of urging our brethren to be who they really are in Christ, we command them to do more for Christ (for good motivation, see Romans 6. 5-14). Therefore, we see the resemblance to Christ as something we really fail at, when we should see it as something we already have and what we need to grow in.
3. La of our low level of guilt falls into the ambiguous “I haven’t done enough” category. Look at the list we presented to you. None of the elements is necessarily a sin. They relate to possible offenses, perceptions and ways we would like to do more. These are the most difficult areas to deal with because, for example, no believer will ever confess that he has prayed. Therefore, it is always easy to feel horrible about prayer (or evangelism, or contribution, or any other Christian discipline). We must be careful not to insist on a standard of practice when the Bible insists only on a general principle.
I want to preach by example. Every believer must contribute generously to the needs of the Saints (2 Corinthians 9: 6-11; Rom 12:13), we can emphasize it with absolute certainty. But what is that generosity like, how much should we give, how much we must retain?, these things are not outlined by any formula, nor can they be demanded by coercion (2 Co 9. 7). Therefore, if we want people to be more generous, we will do well to follow Paul’s example in 2 Corinthians and emphasize the blessings of generosity and their gospel-based motivation, rather than embarrassing others who do not contribute much.
4. When we are truly guilty of sin, it is imperative to repent and receive God’s mercy. Paul had a calm conscience not because he never sinned, but because, I imagine, he sought out the Lord immediately, when he knew that he was wrong, There is no condemnation of the Gospel (Romans 8. 1). If we confess our sins, John says, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all injustice (1 John 1. 9). God didn’t save us. of feeling miserable all the time. He saved us so that we could live in the joy of our salvation. So when do we sin?
This highlights one of the great dangers of constant guilt: we learn to ignore our conscience; If we truly sin, we must repent and pray to the Lord to help us change; But if we do not sin, if we are not as mature as we should be, nor as disciplined as other believers, nor do we make different decisions that may be acceptable but not extraordinary, we should not feel guilty. We must feel challenged, animated, inspired, but not guilty.
As a pastor, this means that I do not expect everyone in my church to be terrified of everything I preach; After all, it is right that we all obey God’s commandments, not perfectly, not without uncertain reasons, not as completely as we should be. , but with fidelity and obedience that pleases God. A faithful preaching does not require sincere Christians to feel miserable all the time. In fact, the best preaching should make sincere Christians see Christ more and experience his grace more.